DAngelo x Carls Wine Club

Gold at Decanter: the Winery and Region Almost Nobody Saw Coming...

Canadian wine lovers, meet Trail Estate Winery! And join us for our next Tasting Thursday to discover the limestone-rich terroir of Prince Edward County, near Hillier, Ontario.

In under 15 years, Trail went from being a brand new winery to a serious contender, not just in Canada, but internationally. I have now tasted seven vintages of their Chardonnay program and every single one has something special to say.

That kind of consistency from a young Ontario estate deserves way more attention than it's getting.

For our Oct 1 Tasting Thursday, we interviewed Trail's brand new winemaker Daniel Fishman, who took over the role of beloved winemaker Mackenzie Brisebois.

Keep scrolling for my notes and scores, and choose your bottles here.

Cheers,

Carl

🔥Choose Your Bottles Here (click or tap)

Visit PEC in person with members! Harvest Tour, Oct 16-18

Six Bottle Discovery Pack 🔥 91 to 94pts

$367.09

Buy these six wines together and you're tasting two vintages side by side, Trail's 2024s before anyone else, and the Decanter Gold Chardonnay that convinced a Sonoma winemaker to move home.

2023 Trail Estate County Chardonnay 🔥 94pts 🔥 Decanter Gold
Stony minerality up front, with lime, lemon meringue, apple pie, and a salty, spicy finish. Only 11.5% alcohol, but it has the depth of a much bigger wine. One of just two Prince Edward County wines to take Decanter Gold this year. Only 130 cases made. Tax in price: $47.83

2024 Trail Estate County Chardonnay 🔥 92pts 🔥 Exclusive Pre-Release
A hotter year, so 60% North Block fruit (up from 30% in 2023) brings the structure and that unmistakable chalkiness. Lime, lemon, yellow apple, and baked brioche. Built to age half a decade or more. Only 80 cases made. Tax in price: $50.82

2023 Trail Estate Pinot Noir 667+115 🔥 93+pts 🔥 Exclusive Release
60% North Block, 40% South Block, barreled separately then brought together. Red and sour cherry, wild strawberry, and fresh raspberry over the same chalky finish as the Chardonnays. Only 65 cases made. Tax in price: $84.72

2024 Trail Estate County Pinot Noir 🔥 91pts 🔥 Exclusive Pre-Release
Fine and delicate, with wild strawberry, red cherry, violet, and rose petal, framed by classic County acidity and a long mineral finish. Pour it beside the 2023 and taste the vintage difference. Tax in price: $56.47

2022 Trail Estate Grimsby Hillside Cab Franc 🔥 92+pts 🔥 Exclusive Pre-Release
The secret is 14% Viognier, which adds a floral lift that will confound your next blind tasting. Strawberries and cream, maraschino cherry, mocha, and black forest cake. Only 60 cases made. Tax in price: $50.82

2017 Trail Estate Pinot Noir Traditional Method Sparkling 🔥 93+pts
Born from the 2017 floods. It spent seven years on the lees and is bone dry, with fine creamy bubbles, pomegranate, cranberry, peach, lemon zest, and Champagne-level toastiness. This is the third and final batch ever disgorged. Tax in price: $67.80

ON, VQA Prince Edward County & VQA Lincoln Lakeshore

2023 D'Angelo Viognier | 92pts

$24.00

D'Angelo only makes ONE white varietal, and it's this one! You'll find a very complete and balanced Viognier, at a great price point. There's also great fruit expression, bright acidity and medium texture. The finish is bright and crisp, bringing out the best of this varietal.

Aromas of orchard fruits and citrus, with an edge of orange blossom. The palate is energetic showcasing precision - not fat or oily as some Viogners can be. Flavours of sweet lemon, yellow apples, pear, honeysuckle, and lime cordiale. (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

92 points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley VQA Naramata Bench

100% Viognier

Dry Wine | RS: g/L | 13.0% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2030

Pairings: Thai mussels in coconut milk, baked brie with pear jam

NV D'Angelo Vino D'Casa | 91+pts

$25.00

This is Sal D'Angelo's 'Minestrone' wine, and just like any good old Italian recipe, this wine is perfect for the dinner table and great cozy evenings. For $25, it's nearly impossible to find a better Okanagan red blend, especially one from the Naramata Bench.

The blend is not disclosed, but based on what I have tasted from D'Angelo, I am suspecting Cab Franc, Merlot, Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. On the nose, red and blue fruits with fresh herbs, roses and liquorice. The palate is well structured, with crisp tannins, offering flavours of fresh raspberry, blueberry, mocha and oak spice.

Easy drinking but serious enough to please the red wine drinkers and to pair with anything BBQ! (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

91+ points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley (Naramata Bench)

Red Blend

Dry Wine | 15.0% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2032

Pairings: gourmet burgers, four cheese baked ravioli

2021 D'Angelo Miscela Tempranillo 🔥 93pts

$35.00

A rich and deep Tempranillo, with multiple layers of complexity. The Tempranillo shines in this hot 2021 vintage with aromas of floral notes and dark fruits, cedar and tobacco.

On the palate, the wine is crunchy and flavourful with dark cherry, black currant, mocha and loads of spice on the finish. I'm super impressed with this release, and this is one of my top three rated wines from D'Angelo at the moment. The mid-palate is my favourite part of this wine.

An extra layer (around 15%) of Merlot and Cab Franc also brings a very nice addition to this wine. (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

93 points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley (Naramata Bench)

85% Tempranillo with Merlot & Cab Franc

Dry Wine | 14.7% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2035

Pairings: wild meat lasagna, beef brisket

2021 D'Angelo Montepulciano 🔥 Club Exclusive! | 91pts

$60.00

A fantastic delivery for the FIRST EVER Canadian Montepulciano red. We knew the potential when we tasted the first Montepulciano rose from D'Angelo a few years back, and I'm super excited to see the progression of this grape at the D'Angelo estate vineyard.

Rugged, tannic, dark, complex, and intriguing...that's my first impression. Obviously this wine needs some time to soften up, but the potential here is very obvious. Aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, tobacco, liquorice. Meanwhile the flavours are savoury, with all around dark fruits and spice. Start collecting this wine...you won't regret it! (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

91 points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley VQA Naramata Bench

100% Montepulciano

Dry Wine | 14.8% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2035

Pairings: lamb skewers, grilled sausage

2021 D'Angelo Riserva 🔥 92+pts 🔥 Exclusive Release!

$42.00

One of the best surprises from D'Angelo! A blend of Naramata Bench fruits: Cab Franc, Merlot and Malbec. This wine is powerful, balanced, and layered.

With 15% alcohol, this is a rich but lifted and balanced wine. The tanins are present, but not in your face. I have to say, I am a really big fan here.

Aromas of blueberry, plum, dark cherry and chocolate. The flavours are a pin-point representation of the nose, making this wine a little easier to understand. With five years of age, this wine is just entering it's prime window of drinkability, and the good news? I predict there's much more to come with time. (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

92+ points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley VQA Naramata Bench

Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec

Dry Wine | 15% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2035

Pairings: filet mignon w peppercorn sauce, pork roast

2020 D'Angelo Sette Coppa 🔥 93pts

$30.00

One of the best quality-to-price-ratio reds from the Okanagan. Seriously, $30 for the flagship Bordeaux blend of this iconic Canadian producer? This is seriously fantastic.

Made from the 5 Bordeaux varietals, estate grown, aged for 24 months in neutral barrels, this wine offers elegance and power with tremendous length and complexity. The aromas deliver an immediate, approachable fruity, floral profile. Meanwhile the palate offers sweet red and black fruits, with juicy mid-weight.

This is creamy, balanced, well integrated...all around, this wine has a beautiful feel to it. (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

93 points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley VQA Naramata Bench

Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Malbec, Petit Verdot

Dry Wine | 14.4% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2032

Pairings: bacon cheeseburger, duck breast

2022 D'Angelo Riserva Pinot Noir🔥 Exclusive Pre-Release! | 91pts

$32.00

Pinot Noir isn't the first varietal you think of when you think of Sal D'Angelo noawadays. But, let's remember that this was one of his first loves and the varietal that helped him win an All Canadian 'Wine of the Year' and the coveted Grape King title in Ontario.

Pinot Noir has the smallest plot on the D'Angelo estate vineyard, and makes a delicious wine - if you can get your hands on it. This wine is all cherry and spice. On the nose, red cherry, fresh basil, rose petal. The palate is crunchy, fresh, mineral, with lots of baking spices on the back end. (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

91 points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley VQA Naramata Bench

100% Pinot Noir

Dry Wine | 13.8% ABV | Drink from 2026 to 2032

Pairings: creamy risotto, pulled pork sandwiches

2018 D'Angelo Miscela Tempranillo 🔥 Exclusive Library Release! | 92pts

$60.00

This wine is a different style than the 2021 vintage: leaner in texture, and more true to the Tempranillo varietal. This very rare wine is more cerebral, uberly complex, and terroir driven.

Aromas of red plum, dark cherry, dry herbs, potpourri, tobacco and leather. The tannins are dry and long, which adds nicely to the complexity. On the palate, the flavours are turning more to the tertiary side, announcing a nice aging curve. A bit of fig, plum, caramel, and loads of spices. (Carl Boucher, September 30, 2026).

92 points Carl's Wine Club

BC Okanagan Valley VQA Naramata Bench

100% Tempranillo

Dry Wine | 14.6% ABV | Drink now until 2030

Pairings: herb crusted rack of lamb, baked ravioli

2024 Trail Estate County Chardonnay 🔥 Exclusive Pre-Release | 92pts

$50.82

This vintage has more North block grapes (60%) than the 2023 vintage (30%), which makes sense since it was a hotter year. The North block offers more structure, needed to keep that perfect balance in a hot year. Mackenzie Brisebois achieved that balance here, with another epic PEC Chard.

The nose is citrus, orchard fruits and floral. The palate offers great concentration, wonderful precision, and defining legth and minerality. The mid-palate is filled with lime, lemon and yellow apple, while some baked brioche and nuttiness provide more highlights to the profile.

Let's not forget that the additional North block fruit also gives this wine an unmistakable chalkiness from that part of the vineyard. You can sit on this one for half a decade or more until it will hit it's prime window of drinkability. (Carl Boucher, August 12, 2026).

Only 80 cases made.

92 points Carl's Wine Club

ON, VQA Prince Edward County
100% Chardonnay | RS 1.77g/L | Dry | 12.5% ABV

Food pairings: goat cheese croquette, mild Thai curry
Drink between: 2026 to 2032

2017 Trail Estate Pinot Noir Traditional Method Sparkling 🔥 93+pts

$67.80

$47.66

This spectacular traditional method sparkling is bone dry, crisp and energetic, with fine creamy bubbles, outsanding texture and world class complexity. It spent over seven years on it's lees after being bottled in 2018, and disgorged at the end of 2025. Knowing that, the level of complexity and texture makes so much sense.

This is the third batch disgorged, and the last chance to get this rare bubbly into your cellar.

Pomegranite, cranberry, peach, lemon zest, as well as a nice toastiness bring this PEC sparkling to a Champagne-level. This is an anniversary type of sparkling wine, to open for a special occassion. Cheers! (Carl Boucher, July 19, 2026).

93+ pts Carl’s Wine Club | 94pts David Lawrason, WineAlign | 93pts Rick VanSickle

ON, Prince Edward County, Estate
100% Pinot Noir | Dry | 9.5% ABV

Food pairings: seared scallops in cream sauce & pancetta, fresh shucked oysters
Drink between: 2026 to 2032

2023 Trail Estate Pinot Noir 115 Noir 🔥 94pts 🔥 Exclusive Release!

$62.12

From Trail estate's North block, this is clone 115 Pinot Noir. Yes, a single clone, single vineyard, single block wine! Incredibly elegant, with lots of details and precision, this might just be the Prince Edward County version of Thomas Bachelder's Lowrey Vineyard Pinot.

A great mix of fruitiness and earthiness, where the balance between power and elegance is seamless. On the nose, sour cherry, red plum, wild raspberry, violet, and a hint of potpourri. Flavours reflect the nose and you can add a wonderful line of minerality and a long spicy finish. (Carl Boucher, August 12, 2026).

Only 8 cases made.

94 points Carl's Wine Club

ON, VQA Prince Edward County
100% Pinot Noir | RS 3.2g/L | Dry | 12.0% ABV

Food pairings: duck confit, truffle and cheese tart
Drink between: 2026 to 2030

2023 Trail Estate Pinot Noir 667+115 🔥 93+pts 🔥 Exclusive Release

$84.72

The two main clones of Pinot Noir, Dijon 667 and 115 (originally from Burgundy), were barrelled separately. 60% of the fruits come from the cooler North block, and 40% from the South block. 25% aged in second-fill French barrels and 75% in neutral barrels.

The result? A clean, fruity Pinot with outstanding definition and remarkable balance. It is geeky, but more approachable than the single clone 115, making this 65 case batch likely to sell out even faster.

On the nose, red cherry, sour cherry, fresh wild strawberries, and a hint of herbaciousness. The palate is round, soft, and also very well defined. The mid-palate is medium-bodied with a perfect level of acidity, offering flavours of ripe cranberry, freshly picked raspberries, a hint of sweet lemon, and a remarkable finish with a light toasted barrel spice.

A similar chalkiness on the finish happens as with the Chardonnays from the same blocks. A true terroir signature for this vineyard. (Carl Boucher, August 12, 2026).

Only 65 cases made.

93+ points Carl's Wine Club | 93 points David Lawrason | 94 points Rick VanSickle

ON, VQA Prince Edward County
100% Pinot Noir | RS 3.2g/L | Dry | 12.0% ABV

Food pairings: tourtiere, baked camembert w maple toasted hazelnuts
Drink between: 2026 to 2033

2024 Trail Estate County Pinot Noir 🔥 Exclusive Pre-Release | 91pts

$56.47

The fruits for this exclusive pre-release come from the North and South blocks of the Trail estate vineyard. A lighter style for colour and body, but very typical Prince Edward County structure with a great frame of acidity and lengthy mineral finish.

This is a fine and delicate Pinot. Aromas include wild strawberry, red cherry, violet and rose petals. On the palate, flavours of red plum, cranberry, earthiness and savouriness. All in all, a very clean and ageable wine, and I look forward to the progression in the next 5-8 years. (Carl Boucher, August 12, 2026).

91 points Carl's Wine Club

ON, VQA Prince Edward County
100% Pinot Noir | Dry | 12.0% ABV

Food pairings: roasted turkey, wild mushroom risotto
Drink between: 2026 to 2030

2022 Trail Estate Grimsby Hillside Vineyard Cab Franc 🔥 Exclusive Pre-Release 🔥 92+pts

$50.82

I spent multiple days digging into that wine, finding from the start that there was a 'je ne sais quoi.' As the days went by, the wine got better and better, and that's when I found out the secret sauce: there's 14% Viognier in the blend!

Cab Franc Viognier? Unusual, but wow, it goes together really well! Add in the 50% new French oak, and it gives you a rich and expressive wine. 100% of the fruits come from the iconic Grimsby Hillside Vineyard in Niagara, but made in Prince Edward County. That's another twist to the story of this delicious wine.

Aromas of strawberry and cream, maraschino cherry, mocha, and slight herbal notes. Truly appealing on the nose. On the palate, I was thrilled to discover some classic black forest cake, beautifully integrated oak, a nice spike of acidity from the 2022 vintage, and a nice spice on the finish adding layers. Fantastic all around! (Carl Boucher, August 12, 2026).

Only 60 cases made.

92+ points Carl's Wine Club | 93 points Rick VanSickle

ON, Niagara Peninsula, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
86% Cabernet Franc, 14% Viognier | RS 3.2g/L | Dry | 13.2% ABV

Food pairings: grilled sausages, spaghetti & meatballs
Drink between: 2026 to 2030

2022 Trail Estate Jus Rouge | 91pts 🔥 Member pricing!

$33.87

$38.29

This is a very interesting wine, in a very good way! A co-ferment of red and white grapes provides a very expressive and enjoyable type of "serve me chilled" red. This is the non-white-wine drinker's white wine ;)

Aged for 10 months in neutral oak with 35% Cab Sauv, 25% Cab Franc, and 40% aromatic whites (Muscat & Riesling) this wine has the potential to totally blow you away and confound your next blind tasting victims.

The nose and palate give you a mix of red crushed berries, cherry pie, orchard fruits like peaches, and a nice line of citrus as a backbone and frame. Yum! (Carl Boucher, August 12, 2026).

Only 150 cases made.

91 points Carl's Wine Club

Ontario
35% Cab Sauv, 25% Cab Franc, 20% Muscat, 20% Riesling | RS 3.0g/L | Dry | 11.5% ABV

Food pairings: tuna tataki, steak sandwiches
Drink between: 2026 to 2028

Select your wines here

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this work?

Carl's Wine Club is Canada's first pan-Canadian, direct-to-consumer wine club.

Being a member of the wine club is FREE and you have access to our informative emails and our live virtual events with Carl to learn more about Canadian wineries.

We feature a different Canadian winery every 1-2 weeks with a specially curated mix of wines. You choose if and how much wine to purchase, with winery direct pricing and shipping deals.

On Wednesdays (yes Wine Wednesdays!) we also go LIVE on our social media platforms to chat about Canadian wine and often interview winemakers. Cheers!

How does shipping work?

The wineries ship these wines to you via couriers like Canada Post, UPS, Purolator, ATS or GLS and the wines arrive right to your doorstep! No need to spend time or gas or manpower to visit a store.

Your wines will ship within 1-2 weeks of your order date, as wineries ship out our club orders all together in a few batches. You'll receive a tracking number from our system and sometimes also from the winery's system.

Someone over the legal drinking age must be present at the time of delivery and provide ID to the delivery driver (this is a legal requirement). Please do your best to ensure that an adult is available to receive the order on the anticipated delivery date.

What if there's a problem with my order or wines?

We will be very happy to assist you if there are any issues, and find a suitable solution. Please contact us at carl@carlswineclub.com or call 587-899-8249.